Hero of the Day
by ThrashMetallix
Summary: Travis Darrell Mura is a young man who has lived a hard life. Now after 17 years, Travis decides to go on a long journey most kids start when they reach age 10. He and his companion Gill, soon show how good they are, even though they never wanted to...
1. Travis Darrell Mura

**...  
**

_Mama they try and break me..._

_The window burns to light the way back home_

_The light that warms no matter where they go_

_They're off to find the hero of the day_

_But what if they should fall by someone's wicked way?_

7:54 P.M.

That's what Travis' clock read. Travis seemed to like reading late now. He had been researching heavily for the past two or three months on a journey not many could go on. He himself was lucky to be going on it.

Travis Darrell Mura, age 17, and at a height of 6-8, had so far had a sad life. He lived with his grandparents, Nova and James. His father left his mother when he was 11 and was killed in the Rock Tunnel outside Lavender Town after they found a pool of blood to be his after a DNA test. His mother had been dead two years. She died in an accident, and Travis was left with his grandparents. They were his only family now. He had no brother, sister, or aunt or uncle. His other grandparents had also died before he was born.

But in this sad life, Travis felt no sadness really. His grandparents took him in as if he was their own son. They fed him, he worked for them in the yard, or house, he even had his own room upstairs. It was a good life he guessed.

_...Still the window burns, time so slowly turns_

_Someone there is sighing_

_Keepers of the flames, can't you hear your names_

_Can't you hear your babies crying?_

_Mama they try and break me..._

Travis loved his music. It was one of the things that helped him contain his sadness. His music helped him settle down, contain anger, get him in the mood, since Travis loved Heavy Metal and Rock N' Roll. He listened to a lot of this, especially Metallica. He connected a lot with Metallica. How? He didn't always understand that himself. Metallica was not Christian, Travis was, but their subject matter was what Travis sometimes agreed with.

But that didn't matter at the present moment. Travis was reading. He had to study for this journey he would be doing in less than a week. He would be starting his pokémon journey soon. He had been studying how to do this type of journey, to pack, how to cook, set up shelter, and other things like that. But what he studied at the present moment was what he'd been looking forward to studying. What to choose as a pokémon partner.

There were so many choices! But he wanted to pick one that he believed he could learn from. He could benefit from any but they each had they weaknesses and other things Travis didn't know if he could handle. He read on.

"...from the time of birth. It is said that if this flame ever goes out, it's life would end. Charmander..."

"Travis, come downstairs!" his grandmother called, as he heard her climbing the stairs towards his room. He laughed. "I'll be down in five minutes." he said as she entered the room. "Travis, you said that twenty minutes ago. Your dinner's probably colder than any ice pokémon you'll encounter." He laughed. "So I'll re-heat it."

His grandmother laughed and made her way towards the dining room, but stopped near the door of Travis' room. "We always knew this day would come..." she said loud enough for him to hear. "I remember your mother used to dream of doing exactly what you're about to do...I never knew why she didn't go..."

Travis laughed inside. "I'll be down in a few."

"You really want me to leave, don't you?" she asked. They both laughed then she left the room and went downstairs.

Travis remembered his mother. Se died a sad woman, because of his father's death. He actually despised his father deep down inside, since he just left. Travis couldn't remember why he left, he just did.

Travis had to leave this town. Too many memories and he'd rather get away from them for a while. He wanted to spend some time in the wilderness, make friends with his pokémon companion, and enjoy life. It would soon happen.

He picked up his book again and read some more. Who to choose? Pikachu? Too popular in the pokémon world, and could easily be caught in some places. Eevee? A good choice, but could be difficult to raise, especially when and what it evolved into. Who? He read on...then he saw an interesting one. "Wow...I think I've found myself a new companion..."

He shut off his lamp and closed his book. He then stood up and went downstairs. "Wonder what Grandma made up for dinner tonight..."


	2. Gill

A week had passed. Travis walked down the streets of Pallet Town. Small town Pallet, but pretty much every trainer started his journey here. That's the only thing that kept it on the map. Travis laughed at that.

He recalled some young trainer a few months ago started his journey and vowed to put Pallet on the map. What was his name? Gary! That was it. He was a jerk, but who cared? Obviously no one since he basically left Pallet with a bang. Travis heard it. "People of Pallet. I promise to return a pokémon master and put our town on the map." That was what he said as he left. Anyone could do it. What a jerk. Oh well, it was his own fault he was such a jerk.

Pallet Town was the start of every Trainers journey mostly because of a man named Professor Oak. He was the grandfather of Gary, and a kind man. He was the guy who provided the trainer with his or her starting pokémon and set him off. He worked in the most recognizable building in Pallet Town, the research lab on top of the hill. That was where Travis was bound at the moment.

Travis began thinking about this journey he was about to go on. He was a bit old to start now, but who cared? Most trainers started around the age of 10, but Travis was not interested back then, he only received this idea of the journey last year. He laughed at himself.

He arrived at the lab. He entered, and was greeted by the sight of aides running here and there, a rather busy place, Travis was thinking. The lab was huge. There were bookshelves, machines and computers everywhere. A big screen displayed a message, Travis read it.

"Finally! The ultimate Trainers of the Pokémon League are ready to take on all challengers! Bring your best pokémon and test your skills against Lorelie, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance! Be the next great pokémon master! Professor Oak, please visit us!

-Pokémon League HQ, Indigo Plateau"

It was an old message as the League had declared that it was taking on all challengers months ago. Oh well.

"Oh, hello!" a voice said from behind. Travis turned around. There was Professor Oak walking towards him. "Who might you be?" he asked. Travis looked down at the man. "I am Travis Mura, I came for my starting pokémon." "Oh yes!" Oak replied. "We have that, and the majority of the items you will be needing for this journey." Travis was confused. "What do you mean by 'majority' of the items?"

"Well unfortunately, we ran out of pokéballs and other items a trainer usually heads out with on his first day. I sent a man out to get some more, but he hasn't returned yet." "Oh, dang."

Oak shook that idea off. "But follow me, and we'll get you what we have for you so far." "Okay," Travis replied with a shrug to get rid of the disappointment.

Travis followed Oak through the lab. Travis looked around at the lab equipment, and machinery. There was a bunch of gizmos Travis would probably love to have in his room, but not really.

"Here we are." Oak said. They stood in front of a huge door, which looked to be the entrance of a huge vault. Oak punched a code in on a number pad and the door opened, it was a vault! A vault filled with glass transparent shelves of pokeballs. To Travis, it looked like something he'd expect out of a movie like _I, Robot_. "This is where pokémon are stored?" Travis asked in awe. Oak nodded.

"I don't usually allow people back here, but I believe you're mature enough to understand the instruction of 'please don't touch anything.' " Travis nodded and chuckled. It was tempting to touch, but Travis fought off that temptation. This was awesome to back here.

Travis followed Oak through the vault. The door closed behind them, but Oak assured Travis that it always did that, and they could easily get out. That was good news. Travis looked at the transparent shelves. There were names on plaques underneath each one, some plaques had columns indicating that the pokémon in those columns belonged to that specific trainer.

"Here we are!" Oak said. Travis turned his attention to Oak, who was staring at the plaque that read "Mura, Travis." There was a single pokéball sitting on the shelf and a small bag. Oak handed both to Travis. "This bag contains the items we have for you so far. It contains potions, antidotes, and other healing supplies for the road ahead. There should be enough in there to last you to at least Pewter City." Travis nodded. That was good to hear.

"And this is your pokémon." He said handing the ball to Travis. "Thanks, professor." "Please follow me out." And Travis followed Oak out of the vault to the entrance of the lab.

"Sorry for the inconvenience Travis, I'd say come back in a week and we'll have the rest of your supplies." "Okay." Oak smiled. "I'd take this week to get to know your pokémon. The more you know each other, the better partnership it will be between you both." With that, Oak walked off to do his work. Travis walked outside. He held up the pokéball.

"Hello. My name is Travis Darrell Mura." Travis said, knowing that the one inside the pokéball heard him like he heard himself. "I am your new partner, and companion. We will soon embark the journey of a lifetime. I hope that sounds exciting enough for you..." Travis was never good with words in some areas. "I sincerely hope that we can become the best of friends...Gill." That would be his nickname.

"So, I don't think I need to say anymore. One thing remains. Let us see each other face to face! Come on out!" He said tossing the pokéball onto the ground. There was a flash and there stood Gill, a Squirtle.

"Squirtle Squirt!"

Squirtle was Travis' choice for a pokémon. Why? Because Squirtle's personality made it unique from any other pokémon. Sure every pokémon was different, but Squirtle was one that seemed interesting to Travis. It was a turtle pokémon, with blue skin and a brown shell. It only got as big as Travis' Knee, but that was okay. Squirtle was cute, but strong. Travis felt this Squirtle had a power deep inside, and knew how to use it. Travis would make sure Gill could use this power better.

Travis knelt down, smiling. Gill was giving a bunch of curious, unsure looks to Travis. Travis chuckled at the looks. "Squirtle..." "Hello, Gill. It's nice to meet you." "Squirt..." Gill was not sure as whether it could trust Travis yet, but Travis would gain Gill's trust and friendship soon, Travis knew it. "I'm just as curious about you as you are about me, Gill, but to tell you the truth, this isn't the best place to study each other. Why don't you follow me to my house, and we can study each other there?"

Gill said nothing. But continued giving looks of being unsure to Travis. "Come on, follow me and I'll show you..." Travis said. Gill, still unsure, followed Travis at a pace. "Well, that's a start." Travis thought, "At least he's following me."


	3. Bonding and Training

Gill was getting a little bit more comfortable with Travis as they walked to his house. He still had his unsure looks, but he was following a bit closer and at a speedier pace. This gave Travis more confidence in a way. "So far, so good. He hasn't run out yet..." Travis thought to himself.

However when they reached the house, Gill slowed again and seemed to be deep in thought. He looked as if he was thinking "What is this place? Do I still trust this guy?" Travis noticed this and beckoned Gill down the first few steps into the yard. "This is the place. Not much, but it's home, and you're always welcome here." Gill heard this and regained his confidence.

Travis walked up the porch, but Gill, still a bit unsure, climbed the porch stairs slowly. Travis guessed Gill would be a bit uneasy for the house. It didn't look all that pretty on the outside, but inside was like a mansion. His grandfather built the house with his own hands and it was good. The porch had two rocking chairs, as his grandparents enjoyed watching the sunrise and sunset. And in the backyard,an apple tree grew that seriously produced the best apples Travis could ever ask for.

Travis tried calming Gill and opened the door. "Hello, I'm home." he called. Gill peeked inside, checking his surroundings. "Oh? You came back?" Travis' grandmother called. That caused Gill to back away some. "Gill it's all right. It's only my grandmother."

There she was. She was in the kitchen, probably fixing dinner. "I thought you were gonna start on your journey." she said. "Oh I was, I'll explain later, but I'll be stuck here another week." Nova looked down at Travis' feet and saw the head of Gill. She laughed. "Who's this now?" Travis looked down. "Go on inside, it's okay." He urged Gill. Gill finally took a step inside. "This is Gill, my companion." "Oh wonderful! If only your grandfather was here, he'd be dying to see you!" Travis laughed. "Go on Gill, my home is your home."

Gill went inside. More confidence came to Gill. "Where is grandpa?" Travis asked. "About 15 minutes ago, he left to go do something at Bill's place. He said he'd be back later tonight." Travis sighed. That usually meant that Grandfather wouldn't be home until the very late hours. His grandfather was always an active one. "Well, I guess he'll get his surprise in the morning."

Nova laughed and went to the kitchen. "By the way, while you were gone, I picked some of the apples from the tree in the back if you're interested." Oh yes! Those apples from the back yard were amazing. Travis didn't know how, but they tasted unique and a lot better than any other apple he had. They soothed you, turned sadness to happiness, anger to love, the list went on. Travis had enjoyed eating them as long as he could remember. Gill, at the word "apples" suddenly looked at Travis with hopeful eyes.

Travis found those eyes and laughed. "Gill, you're as welcome to them as I am." Gill beamed a beam that in a way said "Wow, maybe this won't be so bad after all, in fact, I'm liking it!" Travis laughed a little more and showed Gill where the kitchen was.

The day had been amazing. Travis received his first pokémon, and that pokémon was getting used to him faster than he thought he would. Gill already got to know Travis' grandmother, and soon would know Travis a lot more, in fact, they were on their way to Travis' room for some bonding time that moment.

Travis showed Gill into his room. "This is where I sleep. Rather comfy actually." Gill entered without hesitation and looked around. "Squirtle..." Gill said as if to say, "Cool" or "Not bad..." Travis laughed at that thought. He had never laughed like this before...Gill probably caused something inside of Travis to light up in a way, and Travis liked it.

Travis sat down on the bed and stretched. It was hitting the hour of 9. Usually Travis stayed up until midnight, but tonight, he was surprisingly tired. "This is basically where we will be sleeping for the next week, until we leave." Gill had climbed onto the bed. Travis looked over to his night stand. "Oh yeah, I hope you like or don't mind metal." Travis said, grabbing his remote and turning on his music. Gill didn't seem to notice it turn on.

Travis then turned his attention to Gill. He studied his new friend. Gill saw this and began studying Travis. "You are most interesting...I know I made a good choice choosing you..." "Squirt." Travis laughed. "You're welcome. I already know we'll get along perfect."

Saying that he opened up his book and began reading. Gill, curious as to what Travis was reading, went over and slipped under Trav's arm and took a look. This surprised Travis a little but also made him warm inside. He could somehow sort of feel...a bit of love. This was a good thing. Some pokémon would attack their trainers on their first meet.

Another trainer left a few months ago and the same thing happened to him. The trainer's name was Ash Ketchum and he received a Pikachu. Ash made a mistake when they first met, of hugging Pikachu. And well, Travis guessed Pikachu didn't take that all that well, and it did a shocking thing, literally. How did Travis know this, well Ash came out with Pikachu and Pikachu ended up shocking the entire crowd there. Thank the Lord Travis was a block away.

Travis knew Ash's mother. She only lived a block away, and Travis walked by there often. He knew Ash a bit too, but not much, Ash after all was 10 years old.

Travis pondered this and realized Gill was already in his shell and falling asleep on the bed. Travis smiled to himself and turned the music down. He himself got ready for some sleep and got in. Gill moved some a bit away from the edge but stayed on the bed.

"Sleep well, Gill. Because tomorrow, we're gonna start some training." Gill didn't seem to notice that last sentence, but Travis could have sworn he heard one last little, "Squirtle..." come from inside that shell.

* * *

The stands were packed.

...

There stood Travis with his Gill.

...

He had won all eight gym badges and now stood in the arena of the Pokémon League.

...

"Travis' first opponent is Jeremy from Celadon City!"

...

"Okay Gill, let's go..."

* * *

Travis woke up. It was a dream. Who cared? Travis was just happy to have a pokémon.

Speaking of which, Travis looked over to where Gill slept. He was still asleep. Inside his shell and not moving. Travis smiled at himself again. "Better let him sleep," he thought to himself, and went downstairs.

Making his way to the kitchen he heard his grandparents talking. Nova was probably giving James a lecture on how he shouldn't be out so late anymore. Travis laughed at that thought and entered the kitchen.

"Ahh, well there's the young one!" James said in a bright mood. "Good morning guys." Travis said, "Grandpa, how late were you? Were you out playing Poker again?"

"Oh no. Bill's generator broke down. It was very complicated and took longer than I expected to fix."

"Sure, grandpa. Sure."

"Enough about that, I hear you finally got yourself a pokémon!"

Travis knew this was coming sooner or later. He also knew James would be excited since he had always dreamed himself on going on a huge pokémon journey. Now all he did was make up stories about those good old days when he was out battling the gym leaders all over the world. It amused Travis to hear these stories.

"Yes, it's true," Travis replied, "I got a pokémon."

James seemed almost desperate. "Well where is he?"

"Sleeping. Please don't make me wake him."

Nova just smiled as if to think, "Travis, do you think that will stop him from bugging you to going up for him?" Travis had to smile at that.

But it didn't seem grandpa would have to bug Travis into getting him, because as Travis sat down, e heard a faint "Squirtle?" from upstairs. It seemed James, no matter how old he was, also heard it.

"Was that him? I heard something!"

With a sigh, Travis got up and said "I'll go get him."

Travis slowly got up and walked towards the staircase. He climbed a few stairs up and called, "We're down here, Gill." There he was. He had just emerged from Travis' room. It caught sight of Travis and walked to the top of the stairs.

"Hey bud, we're all downstairs. Want some breakfast?"

Gill lightened at the word "breakfast" and ran down the stairs.

"Hey, slow down, Gill." Travis chuckled at walked after him.

Then Gill stopped suddenly in his tracks. It caught sight of Travis' grandfather, James. James then caught sight of Gill, which caused James to light up like a giddy schoolboy.

"Ah! There you are!" he cried. Gill backed away rather fast and bumped into Travis. Travis could tell Gill wasn't so sure about James yet.

"It's fine, Gill. That's only my grandfather, James. He's been most excited to you're visit." That was the best way Travis could phrase it. Gill seemed to understand the word "grandfather" and gained his confidence back.

He even greeted him back, replying with "Squirtle!" That caused James to laugh in joy and Travis to sigh and smile. Gill jumped up on a chair and Travis sat down again. Nova had made eggs for breakfast and Travis was already serving some to himself and giving Gill a few apples.

James kept looking at Gill. "So you chose Squirtle to start?" James asked. "That is correct," Travis replied.

"How's he been so far?"

"Well he hasn't run out or attacked me yet, so I guess it's all pretty good."

"It would seem so. Don't mind me asking, but isn't there pokémon food you can give it?"

Travis was surprised at the question. "Oh I know there is, but during this journey, I'm gonna be raising my pokémon like you would a child. You give your child the best. I don't think the pokémon food is the best to give."

Nova stepped in and backed Travis on this. "Yes, Gill loves the apples from the back."

James laughed. "He does? Well everyone does!"

"Ain't it the truth?" Travis replied with a laugh.

The subject then changed. "Travis, what's your plan today?"

Travis was thinking about this. "Well I'm stuck here a week, if you didn't already know. And Oak said that I should use this week to get to know Gill and do some training. So I may head over to the gym after breakfast."

"Already? It isn't even nine o' clock yet!" Nova replied. Travis just continued eating and declared, "True, but sometimes you can never contain anxiety." Nova laughed and handed Travis a list. "While you're out, would you mind running to the grocery store?"

Travis took the list, and looked it over. "Sure, I can do that." Nova then handed him some money. "That should be enough to cover everything."

"Cool, I'll get going after I'm finished here."

* * *

Travis walked with Gill down the streets of Pallet. They already ran to the grocery store and now were now on their way to the gym. This gym never was all that popular. It had no leader. It had a track, an arena, a weight room, and a pool. It basically was a recreation center.

As they walked down the street, they passed the house that belonged to Mrs. Strauss. She was the mother of two and one was pretty much Travis' age, but two years older. He had been a trainer for quite some time now, and Travis barely knew him. The other, was Eli. He was also, if Travis was correct, about to begin his journey. He was 10 and had a baby Growlithe his brother gave him.

Mrs. Strauss was doing some gardening when Travis appeared. Eli wasn't out, which meant he was probably inside. "Good morning, Travis, you're out rather early."

"Morning, Mrs. Strauss." Travis replied.

"How come you're out so early?" she asked. She probably didn't see that Travis had a new pokémon with him, then she saw. "Oh, I see."

"His name is Gill. We're just out to the gym for a little training before we leave this town."

"Oh, you're leaving too?"

"In about a week, yeah."

"Same with Eli," she laughed. "I swear, he has his brother's blood in him."

"I can imagine," Travis said. Gill was now sitting down, massaging himself.

"That's a cute guy," she said, looking at Gill. Gill, hearing this, put a hand behind his head, and smiled.

Travis laughed and replied, "Yeah, and I also know this guy has some power in his blood. I can feel it."

"Well then, I won't keep you any longer. Say 'hi' to your grandparents for me."

"I will, see you later. Let's go, Gill."

With that they left, and continued towards the gym, which was only a few blocks away. The walk didn't take all that long, and they were there within minutes.

"Okay Gill," Travis said, "we're here. Mind you, this will be some hard working we'll both be doing this week. My suggestion is that we first hit the pool and practice some moves there. What do you think?"

Gill looked up to Travis, and gave a nod. "Squirt."

"I'll take that as a 'yes.' Let's go then."

The pool wasn't all that big, but it was big enough to practice pokémon moves in. Gill also seemed to enjoy the sight. Travis wasn't surprised since Gill was water type, and also smiled. Gill ran and jumped in. Travis was in exercise clothes that could go into water, but he didn't jump in yet.

"How's the water Gill?" Travis asked with a smile.

Gill emerged and smiled. "Squirtle squirtle!"

"Sounds good. Now Gill, how fast are you at swimming? Mind if you demonstrate?"

Happily Gill dove under and began swimming at a very impressive speed. Gill swam five laps around the pool in less than 30 seconds, and the pool was at least 20 by 40 feet. This was very impressive.

"Wow, you are a fast one!" Travis said, as Gill emerged through the water.

"Squirtle squirt, squirtle." Gill replied in a thankful tone.

"Okay, your speed is awesome in water, probably will need some work on land, we'll run while we're here, but that's later. Let's try some attacks, you up for it?"

"Squirtle!" Gill replied almost in a determined voice. Travis laughed a little and tried to think of a few moves.

"Hmm...let's see...I know! You know bubble attack?"

Bubble was not the most powerful of attacks, but Travis knew that Gill would not know any powerful moves at this time.

Gill took a deep breath in and on the exhale, many bubbles came out. They hovered in midair and looked to Travis, like normal ordinary bubbles. Would they do anything? Only one way to find out. Travis lifted a finger to a bubble hovering nearby and poked it.

_Pop!_

The bubble exploded rather violently when Travis touched it, and it hurt.

"Ow." Travis said, shaking his hand rapidly. "Okay, we know that move is pretty effective."

Gill laughed a bit. "I guess it's my own fault for poking it," Travis said still shaking his practically numb hand.

The other bubble Gill had exhaled began hitting the ground and popping with a frenzy. Travis backed off a little, but knew they weren't all that much of a threat to him.

"Try it again, Gill. This time, try and take a deeper breath, and try to produce more," Travis said, unsure if that was really how Gill did it. "Know what I'm saying?"

Gill nodded, and took in a deep breath. On the exhale, out came more bubbles, just as powerful as the others, although Travis did not bother to find out.

"Better. Much better. Try a water gun?"

Gill almost nodded immediately. Water Gun was basically the standard move every water pokémon knew at birth. Gill unleashed a powerful torrent of water from his mouth and the water slammed into the wall Travis stood against.

"Hmm..." Travis wondered, then got an idea. There was a dummy in the corner currently not in use. Travis grabbed it and set it down.

"Gill, use your water gun on this target dummy. Let's see how powerful this attack is."

Gill unleashed the attack on the dummy, pushing it very far. Almost 16 feet away from where it was standing, wow.

"That's powerful all right. Let's try it again and see if we can get it farther. Up for it?"

With a nod, Gill waited for Travis to set up the dummy again, then unleashed another powerful blast. The blast was so powerful, it knocked the dummy farther, and actually bounced and hit Travis into the pool!

Travis came up through the water. Gill noticed Travis fall in and gave a facial expression, which looked like an "oops" expression.

"Wow. Not bad, Gill. You're pretty tough." Travis laughed. Tough enough at get the attention of a young trainer who was training what looked like a Staryu.

The trainer walked over. "That's an impressive Squirtle. How long you had him?"

Travis climbed out of the pool and grabbed a nearby towel. "Only a day, man," he said, drying off a little.

The young trainer looked surprised. "Only a day? Are you kidding me?"

"No man, I got him from Oak yesterday."

The trainer looked at Gill then smiled. "Wanna really test his skills?"

Travis looked at the boy, who looked no more than thirteen years old. "Are you asking me to battle you?"

The trainer nodded. "Yeah, let's see how well your Squirtle can do against my Staryu!"

Travis was hesitant. "I don't know man, I just got him, we're still getting to know each other..."

The young trainer cut him off. "So what? I think any trainer knows how to have a pokémon battle! Are you chicken or something?"

Travis sighed. He hated kids that would insult older people. They were overconfident and sometimes they got hurt doing it. "No man, but I just..."

"Squirtle!" Gill stepped up to Travis' side.

Travis looked down. Gill was almost in a determined stance! "Are you saying you wanna battle, Gill?"

"Squirt!" Gill nodded. He probably knew he wasn't so weak, and knew that the trainer sort of insulted both him and Travis.

"Okay then, I'll accept your challenge."

"Good! I'll take it easy on you if you want!"

That Travis knew was another insult. "No thanks," Travis replied cooly. "When do you wanna meet?"

"How about 15 minutes from now in the arena?"

"Sounds good to me."

"See you there! Don't chicken out on me!"

"I don't intend to..."

* * *

Fifteen minutes passed and Travis stood in the arena with Gill at his side. The young trainer had his Staryu standing with him.

"Remember kid, this is a one on one battle. No withdraws."

"I was about to say the same to you, Staryu let's go!"

His staryu entered the arena floor. It shined in the sunlight entering through the glass dome above. It looked tough and determined. It had no face, but it's stance was enough to say "Bring it on!"

"all right, Gill. Let's show him how tough we can be, no matter how new we are at this."

Gill nodded and entered the arena.

"So you're also new to training? I think this will be too easy."

"Maybe it will, kid. Maybe..."

Some trainers stopped what they were doing to watch the battle, which made Travis a bit uneasy. It was his first battle, and he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. But deep inside, he knew Gill was coming up with a strategy and that was all Travis needed.

The young trainer made the first move. "Staryu, let's show him how powerful water pokémon can be! Use your water gun!"

Staryu let loose a torrent of water similar to that of Gill and it was aimed right at Gill.

"Gill, use withdraw!" Travis called.

Without hesitation, Gill withdrew into his shell as the water gun attack hit. The torrent pushed Gill into Travis, and Travis caught him.

"Withdraw?" the trainer scoffed. "This IS gonna be too easy."

"You gonna take that, Gill?" Travis asked.

Gill jumped from Travis' arms and stood on the field.

"Gill let's show him a tackle attack!"

Gill charged up the field, and jumped at the Staryu.

"Staryu, look out! Use your swift attack and try to knock him off course!"

Gill was faster however, and gave Staryu the full power of his tackle.

"Now use bubble!"

Gill unleashed his stream of bubbles that began popping everywhere around Staryu, and Staryu was not in a good position. "Staryu, hang in there!" the trainer called out. "Use rapid spin!"

Staryu began spinning at a rapid speed at Gill. "Gill, jump above, then use your water gun!"

It worked! Gill jumped above the Staryu as it closed in then used it's water gun and it pushed Staryu into the wall!

And Staryu fainted!

The trainer stood speechless, along with the trainers that watched.

"I can't believe it...I lost to a rookie."

"Next time, don't insult me or Gill."

Gill ran over to Travis and Travis knelt down at the little pokémon and began stroking him. "You did awesome Gill. You showed him and the rest of these trainers that you're not one to be messed with."

Some of the actual trainers came up and congratulated Travis. Travis thanked them and made his way to the exit, but not before another trainer got to him.

"Hey dude, you know what you just did?"

"I beat a guy that insulted me. Why?"

"He's been challenging a lot of random trainers lately and he's always been winning! He was starting to get on all of our nerves. And you beat him! Thank you!"

"You're welcome, I guess. If you'll excuse me, I sorta gotta go train."

"Can I know your name at least?"

"Travis Mura. Please move."

"Thanks again Travis. We all owe you."

"Don't worry about it."

* * *

The battle did not shake Travis from training. He continued as if it never even happened. Lots of trainers, after the battle, came up and asked to battle, Travis simply said no to every single one. A battle a day was enough until the actual journey started, he didn't want to wear Gill out already.

After the battle, he ran the track with Gill, lifted weights, and even swam some laps with Gill. He wasn't fast in water, but Gill waited for Travis every now and then. Travis was starting to believe Gill was actually starting to put some trust in him, maybe even a little love. Maybe not, but that would come. Travis knew that he and Gill would be amazing friends.

Each night, they rested in Travis' room, after a bit of talking and bonding. Travis enjoyed Bonding, and even put some bonding time during the training at the gym. It got them closer and closer as the days went by.

The days seemed shorter at some times, since Travis was getting used to doing pretty much the same thing every day. Running, lifting, swimming, observing, encouraging, showing, whatever it was to make Gill better, stronger.

One day Travis even tested his skills a little outside Pallet, where wild pokémon roamed. Not too far, because Travis didn't want leave until he had everything, he wasn't even 10 feet outside of Pallet. He fought off a few Pidgey but that was about it until they decided to head back home.

The days seemed to never end, until the day finally came for Travis and Gill to leave Pallet.


	4. A Traveler of Both Time and Space

The day had finally come. Travis was awake at five o' clock in the morning. Why? Not because of excitement, but because he had one personal thing to do. He didn't wake Gill, or tell his grandparents where he was going. This was something he himself had to do, alone.

He walked down the empty, dark streets of Pallet, towards Pallet's cemetery. He entered the cold, silent cemetery and went straight towards one grave. He had been here numerous times before, but not too often, for he sometimes hated the darkness and the silence of the grave.

He knelt down at the one grave he knew there. The tombstone which read the following words.

**In Loving Memory of:**

**Isabelle Mura**

**Born: April 29, 1968**

**Died: June 25, 2006**

**The brightest flame burns quickest...**

Travis knelt, and closed his eyes. He blotted out all thoughts. He prayed his silent prayers, hoping his dead mother could hear him from beyond. Travis could feel the sadness of the grave getting to him. He shook it all off, and concentrated. He felt nothing, except a little of his mother's spiritual presence, and he always loved that feeling.

_"...Hey mom...it's me, sorry I haven't showed up for a while. I just came to say good-bye for now. I'm attempting to do what dad did I guess. Speaking of which, if he is with you, tell him I said 'hi' for me. I still wish he never left us._

_"But, yeah. I'm gonna leave Pallet Town today. Hope I'm successful in this. I don't wanna screw too much up. I also hope that you don't mind me doing this. I just gotta leave Pallet. I'm missing out on a whole world. But I'm sure you'd be proud of me if you were still with me..."_

Travis felt peaceful. Extremely peaceful. He couldn't remember a time that was this peaceful to him and he enjoyed the feeling. It made him strong, confident, and not alone.

He sat there another 15-30 minutes before standing up again. "I'm doing this for you mom. You and my future team...no one else." That was the last thing he said before standing up and leaving the cemetery. He wasn't sure, but as he left the cemetery, he felt a bit warmer.

* * *

Travis in all had spent about an hour at the cemetery. He arrived back at the house at about 6:30 and his grandparents were up rather early.

Travis entered, and his grandmother was in the kitchen. She noticed him enter, then asked him "Oh, you're back. May I ask where you went?"

Travis took of his jacket and looked up. "I went and visited mom's grave."

His grandma understood that. "I see..." was all she could say.

Travis went into the kitchen. His grandfather was not up yet, but Gill was. He looked at Travis then gave a small smile.

"Hey Gill, sorry if I made you wonder where I was." Travis said. "Are you ready to leave this town?"

"Squirtle!" Gill replied. Travis knew that this was a "yes."

He laughed and went upstairs. Gill didn't follow, but Travis was sorta glad he didn't. He went upstairs to his room, and sat on his bed. He opened up his top drawer on his night stand. This was where he kept some of his most valued possessions. He took one thing out and shut the drawer.

What he took out was a simple necklace of black thread. What hung from the thread, was a moon stone. This was the only possession he had left of his mother. His father gave it to her on the day of their wedding. When she died, the necklace was given to Travis. He rarely put it on, but he wanted it now, since he was leaving Pallet for a while. Whenever he was near the necklace, he could feel his mom with him.

He put it on, and went downstairs. His backpack, untouched since last week was near the door. He didn't leave right away, he stayed for about 3 hours before calling Gill over and putting his backpack on.

"Grandma, I'm outta here. Say goodbye to grandpa for me." he called, he was a bit surprised that his grandpa was still sleeping.

She came over. Travis hugged her. "Okay Travis, you be careful out there. And know that you're always welcome back here."

Travis laughed and left for Oak's lab again. "I hope this time he has the items for me." Travis thought to himself.

* * *

Travis passed a few trainers outside Oak's lab and went inside. "Oak, you here?" Travis called over the Aides busy working. Travis looked for the professor everywhere, then caught sight of him. He was helping a young boy, giving him a pokéball and a pokédex. Then he saw Travis. "Travis? Didn't I send you out a week ago?" he asked.

Travis was rather surprised. Had his memory gone bad? Oh well. "I came for the rest of the supplies you said-" he began. "Oh yes! That's right! Here you are." Oak said handing him about 6 pokéballs and a map. He looked to the ceiling as if in deep thought. "I don't remember giving you a pokédex."

Travis shook his head. "I can't recall you did either. don't really need one however."

"Well, take one anyway. They may be more useful than you think." Oak insisted.

"Okay then," Travis said accepting the items. "I guess I'm about out of here." He turned to the exit and started walking. Gill walked beside him.

"Good luck, Travis! I'll always be here to help in any way necessary!" Oak called out as Travis exited the lab.

Travis stood outside. The trainers that stood out there were still there, including the one Oak helped before giving Travis his items.

"Gill, you ready?" Travis asked. "Let's go." They began walking towards the exit of Pallet Town. Travis put a headphone into his right ear and pressed the play button on his iPod nano. A familiar riff began playing. A riff made by a band he deeply respected.

"_Oh let the sun beat down upon my face_

_Stars to fill my dream_

_I am a traveler of both time and space_

_To be where I have been..."_

The last thing Travis thought before stepping into the wild was "Here goes nothing..."


	5. Run Like Hell

Travis had been walking with Gill now for about 20 minutes and they had seen nothing. No wild pokémon, no trainers, nothing at all. Gill walked with Travis all the way.

The hour was about to hit 2:00 P.M. when Travis heard something in the grass! What could it be? A wild pokémon? A trainer? His imagination? Travis stopped.

"Gill, hold up. I think I heard something." he said quietly.

Gill stopped and looked to where Travis was looking. He seemed to get into a battle-ready stance. "Be ready Gill, I believe there's a pokémon in there..."

A moment passed, then it happened. A Rattata jumped from the tall grass, with it's white fangs bared and was flying right at Gill. Travis had to act quick.

"Gill, use water gun now!" he called. Gill unleashed a torrent of water at the incoming Rattata. The attack hit Rattata, and pushed it off course, causing Rattata to fly into a rock instead. "Nice one, Gill." Travis said in a proud voice.

The Rattata however, did not look happy at all. It seemed to raise it's head, and roar. It then leapt again for Gill, it's fangs bared and before Travis could say anything, Rattata had bitten into Gill's right arm, and it was a hard bite. Gill cried in pain. Travis wasn't sure, but it looked like Rattata had punctured the skin of Gill, and caused a cut. Rattata was still biting Gill's arm and Gill couldn't shake it off.

Travis couldn't think for a moment, then he shouted "Gill, hang in there! Use withdraw!" This worked. Gill managed to withdraw into his shell, and Rattata had no choice but to let go and re-plan his strategy. "Gill, use bubble!" Gill came out and unleashed his bubble at Rattata. Rattata was surrounded by the very explosive bubbles, and when they popped, Rattata ran in every direction, colliding with another bubble. Rattata finally managed to find a hole and run away, it had enough of this battle. Travis smiled as it ran away.

"Gill, you did it! You are getting..." Gill wasn't paying attention. He was on the ground gripping his right arm in agony. Travis ran over, and sat Gill up. "Hey...you okay?" Travis asked rather calmly. Gill couldn't answer. Travis could see the pain on Gill's face. Travis lifted Gill's arm and examined the wound. "Oh God..."

Rattata had really done some damage. His arm had a rather big gaping hole, Gill was bleeding badly, and Travis swore he saw a broken bone. "Oh God...Gill hold on!" Travis reached in his backpack and pulled out a potion.

"Gill, this will help relieve the pain, but we're gonna need to run to Viridian City with that wound of yours!" Travis sprayed the potion on Gill, it was only a regular potion, and Travis didn't know if it would be enough to stop some of the pain.

Travis took out an old shirt he didn't care for, ripped some of it's cloth off, and soaked it with water from his water bottle. "Gill, this is gonna sting, but we can't let that wound continue to bleed like that. I'm gonna apply some pressure on you arm and this will help stop the bleeding."

Travis took the piece of cloth, wrapped it around Gill's arm, and tied it tight. Gill didn't seem to notice it...because he was now unconscious. Not good.

"Gill! You okay?! Stay with me!!" he shouted. No response. Travis was now desperate. "Son of a bitch..." he thought to himself. He began running down the road. Gill in his arms. His backpack was still open a little, but Travis couldn't stop and shut it if Gill wasn't responding at all. Travis had to keep running in the direction of Viridian City. He already began to feel his legs shouting "Hey take it easy!" but he didn't care. He kept running...

His iPod was still playing and Travis didn't care, as he didn't seem to even notice it was on.

"_...You better run all day and run all night_

_And keep your dirty feelings deep inside_

_And if you're taking your girlfriend out tonight_

_You better park the car well out of sight_

'_Cause if they catch you in the back seat with her in your arms_

_They're gonna send you back to mother in a cardboard box_

_You better run..."_

Travis ran...Gill in his arms...he ran like hell...ran in the direction of Viridian City...

"Stay with me Gill..."

* * *

It was now about 6:04 P.M. Hours seemed like days. It seemed like an eternity before Travis finally saw Viridian City on the horizon. "Hold on Gill! We're almost there!" he shouted.

Gill was still unconscious. The good thing was that the bleeding had stopped, and Gill was still breathing. Travis' legs were in pain and begging for Travis to stop, but Travis didn't seem to notice. He was desperate and didn't stop running until he reached the city itself.

He desperately looked around for the Pokémon center.

"_Keep searching...keep on searching_

_This search goes on, on and on_

_FRANTIC tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tock_

_FRANTIC tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tock_

_FRANTIC tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tock_

_FRANTIC tick tick tick tick tick TICK TICK TICK TOCK!"_

Travis then caught sight of the pokémon center. He immediately ran in it's direction. Viridian seemed rather empty but that was just fine to Travis. He didn't want to be bothered.

He burst in through the doors of the pokémon center like a football player. The doors swung open, and hit the wall, breaking the glass.

The person behind the counter immediately turned toward Travis with a frown on her face. "Excuse me sir, but-"

"Please, not now!" Travis said rather sternly. He ran to the counter, and set Gill on it. "Nurse, I understand you may be angry with me, but you gotta help Gill!" Travis said a bit calmer.

That's when it hit him. The desperate need for air and the agonizing pain in his legs. He bent over and began taking deep breathes in..it hurt to breathe.

Nurse Joy examined the bandage on Gill. "What happened?"

Travis, through his deep breaths managed to say the following words in big hesitation; "Been...running...since...Pal-...Pallet...Town...Rattata...bit...his...arm..."

Nurse Joy removed the bandage. Gill then woke and cried in pain. Travis winced at that cry. He could feel that pain, and he shut his eyes tight. He then noticed his iPod was still playing, he turned it off.

"Oh my God..." Nurse Joy said. She then took Gill into the back room in a hurry. Travis saw her go then stood up and called after her. "Wait! Where are you taking him! Wait! Please..."

He waited about 5 minutes. His heart racing still. Then she came back. She seemed to forget that Travis was the one responsible for breaking her glass doors. "You were good to run from Pallet all the way here. Your Squirtle might have bled to death had he been out there another hour."

A horrid feeling struck Travis' body. "You mean...Gill...That Rattata...Gill could have...died?"

Nurse Joy ignored the question. "He should be fine, but he'll need to stay here over night. That Rattata really did a number on him, but as I said, he should be fine. I'll have more details in a few." She then went back into the back room.

Travis felt horrible. He slowly walked over to a couch near the wall. He sat down and hung his head. The moon stone necklace dangled above the floor. Travis felt horrible...just horrible...worse than horrible...

If Nurse Joy was correct, that Rattata had seriously hurt Gill. She said that he would have bled to death if Travis didn't run like he did. Bled to death...Travis felt horrible...bled to death...that would mean...-

Oh God!

Travis ran over to the nearest trash can and his stomach emptied out it's contents through Travis' mouth. Travis vomited over and over again. Tears started to form at Travis' eyes. He felt more vomit come up his throat and out his mouth. The trash can smelled horrid. Travis continued to vomit until all that came out of his mouth was dry stale air and saliva.

Then Travis began to sob. Bled to death...if Travis didn't run, he would have basically killed Gill...his only friend at the moment. Travis felt guilty. He could have killed Gill. Travis sobbed a few more than dried his eyes.

He heard Nurse Joy enter the room. He immediately looked up from the trash can. She saw him, and noticed that he had been throwing up. "Oh...sorry to interrupt you, but if it makes you feel better, Gill will be fine."

Some of the horrid feeling inside Travis was suddenly killed. "He will? He'll be okay?"

"Yes, he will," she smiled, "He was lucky to have you around. Someone of your endurance. To run from Pallet all the way here...I can't say how lucky he is."

Travis nodded slowly. Some of the guilt was going away, but some remained.

"Anyway, sir, he'll be fine and you'll be able to take him tomorrow morning. You can see him if you want."

Travis considered this, then shook his head. "No. I think it's best that he rests. He's had one hell of a day, and he deserves the best rest right now." She understood and nodded. "Feel free, sir, to rent a room for the night. I'll make sure your Squirtle gets his rest."

"Thank you Nurse Joy. Oh...and I'm sorry about your door...I can pay for it if I need to..."

Nurse Joy giggled, and shook her head. "I understand now why you had to barge in. I'll take care of it. Don't worry at all about it. Seriously, just about two months ago, this trainer's Pikachu blew up the roof of the Pokémon center." She laughed and gave Travis a key. "Get some rest, sir."

"Thanks again, Nurse Joy."

* * *

Travis entered his room and took off his clothes. And took a quick shower. He was feeling a little better but still was shaken from the incident. His iPod was playing through the stereo in the room. His music was helping him calm down. He put his clothes back on and lie on his bed, and began to meditate. He did this a lot. Just meditated and reflected on his day. His iPod continued playing.

"_...I'm your dream, make you real_

_I'm your eyes when you were still_

_I'm your pain when you can't feel_

_Sad but true..."_

His mind was blank. He reflected the day. He had blamed himself for Gill's injury. He began to slowly think, that he wasn't totally all to blame. He just had to be better on his battling strategy. Was today's incident avoidable? In a way...he guessed it wasn't. He could have moved on when he heard the sound in the grass...but he didn't.

Travis tried to focus on something else. He had lost a lot of items during the run. He would replace them tomorrow. At least they weren't anything important like his iPod, his Pokédex, or even worse...his necklace. It was just a few antidotes, a potion, and a couple of pokéballs. His legs still felt like hell had been unleashed. They were gonna feel that way at least until morning. Travis was expecting them to feel worse for a while.

Travis then shifted his thinking to something else...further...

Most trainers started their journey to become the world's best trainer around. Why did Travis start his? He just wanted to escape the memory of his past. His horrid past...He didn't start his journey to become the number one trainer.

"That means I won't face the Elite Four." he thought to himself. Not that he cared or anything. He had convinced himself that he would not be able to beat them. Lorelie? Nope. Bruno? Maybe, considering that he had rock pokémon. Agatha? Travis did not know how to fight off ghost pokémon. Lance? Forget about it. Lance was amazing.

Travis thought to himself..."I'll go for the badges...sure." But he wouldn't go against the Elites. Not if he lived to be the world's most feared trainer. And he didn't want to make a name for himself. He'd try not to, but if he had to do the right thing, he would do it.

All these thoughts raced through Travis in his meditated mind. Then he closed his eyes for his sleep. "Tomorrow, Gill...I'll be a whole new trainer...I swear that I won't let anything like this happen to you again...ever."

He fell asleep.

"_Mama, she has taught me well_

_Told me when I's young_

_Son, your life's an open book_

_Don't close it 'fore it's done_

_The brightest flame burns quickest_

_That's what I heard her say_

_A son's heart's owed to mother_

_But I must find my way..."_

* * *

_..._

_Gill? Gill! Oh God..._

_...I'm sorry son. You're mother's dead..._

_SHUT UP!_

_Oh God...Gill...can you hear me?_

_Help him! Gill I'm so sorry!!_

_Please help him!_

_SHUT UP! STOP LYING! I WANT TO SEE HER!_

_I'm so sorry...she's gone..._

_SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!_

_Gill...can you ever forgive me?_

* * *

Travis tossed around in his sleep...his nightmare was more than he could bear. Wait, not nightmare, memories. He was reliving his memories. He hated these nights...something bad would happen one day. Then that night he would relive horrible memories. His face now began to get wet from his tear-filled eyes. He wasn't awake, but he spoke in his sleep.

"Shut up! My mom's not dead! Fuck you! Gill, please forgive me!"

He continued to sleep, but cried in his memories in which he could not wake from...


End file.
